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From Lance Armstrong to the IRS, 2013 has so far been rich with lessons to be learned from leadership failures. We get at least as many ideas about good leadership from failures as we do from successes, so these five should be instructive: 1. Innovate First for a Greater Good The example: Pfizer, for devoting billions of dollars to develop...
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Excuses and blaming have reached epidemic proportions in many organizations. It’s human nature, particularly during high-unemployment, high-uncertainty times like these for people to fear for their families and livelihoods, and for that to translate into butt-covering. Unfortunately, there’s a tremendous amount of time wasted on such behavior. It's ultimately fruitless, as often those who think they're protecting themselves are doing...
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Those who take on the weight of the world, yet who constantly find their own efforts lacking, are more prevalent than one might think. One such executive told me, “It’s like I’ve got a ton of bricks on my shoulders,” and the weight keeps being added as issues and needs arise around them ... "I get totally exhausted." It’s a...
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I ask leaders: how can you be of service to your people and your bottom line at the same time, rather than serving one at the expense of the other? It gets the leadership juices flowing. In contrast, “Hit your targets or you’re out,” which I’ve seen more frequently recently, sacrifices those you lead for results. If this weed-out-the-weaklings way...
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Life in general, and the workplace in particular, seem designed some days to test our ability to deal with frustration--our own, and that of others. It takes awareness and skill to behave well—rather than react—when facing a frustrating/angering person or situation. Since there’s no shortage of these, it’s well worth it for a leader to develop strong mental muscles for...
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EVERYONE is doing the best they can do, all the time. How you think about others—strangers, friends, family, people providing you services—sets the stage for what comes next between you, for better or worse, in every moment of your life. Thinking about particular colleagues, directs, boss, or others in your organization—or even people in your life—you may laugh at my...
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What's one to do? Everyone has a story of a nightmare boss. Why? Because overly critical people are in positions of authority with surprising frequency, and tend to be, well, memorable. They can be hurtful, insulting, angry, disapproving, intolerant, abusive—or any combination thereof. People who work around them are often stressed out or shut down, operating in coping mode—avoiding touchy...
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Consider a few of the typical strengths a leader may have: maybe they're a good delegator, a great relationship-builder, results-oriented, decisive, etc. Interestingly, our strengths become weaknesses when we overuse or misapply them to the situation. That's why I often hear my clients' colleagues say, "It's his strength, but also weakness at times..." So it's important to know which of...
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Leadership is not—and should not be—a popularity contest. Yet a difficult personality will render ineffective even a highly talented executive. As a result, their potential contributions will go unexplored. Consider a leader with world-class talent in a specific area, yet whose lack of interest in relating well to other people is seen as arrogant and argumentative. We’ve all met one...
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People who think and act like owners are happier, healthier, and more effective at work. Layoffs, dinosaur management styles, "do more with less," and constant role/responsibility reshuffles are the new "normal." And, these things certainly haven't made it easy for folks to have a sense of ownership and engagement in their companies. In fact, I had a junior executive tell...
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